Final Fantasy: Realms of Fate
by Legion of Two
Summary: The Caretaker, the Guardian, the Soldier, the Mercenary, the Athlete, the Mechanic, and the Prince. Caecilius Bruen, former Caretaker of the realms has recruited Cloud, Noctis, Lightning, Cindy, Squall, and Tidus from their respective dimensions to travel through time and space to stop Vera Ziad from obtaining the shards of the Reality Crystals to influence the multiverse.
1. Fate Begins

Hello, everyone! I'm (B) going to take this moment to clarify a few things for you as well as explain a few other things.

In the context of this story, the plots in the main installment line of Final Fantasy games, including Type-0, is canon. Some of the other installments are kind of up in the air right now but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Also, the Dissidia games are also canon so there shouldn't be too much surprise when the main characters are familiar when they meet each other.

There will also be some songs listed in here for atmosphere, you can listen to the songs while reading the areas they are related to or you can skip that step, it's totally fine.

Without further ado, enjoy Realms of Fate...

* * *

 _Once, very long ago, there was only one realm._

 _A singular, solitary universe where the worlds within were born from the three Reality Crystals. And that is how it stayed until the great calamity. The crystals collided with each other and worlds from different points in time and space were separated by newly formed dimensional barriers created by the shockwave of energy spreading throughout the universe. New histories were formed for everything surrounding these worlds to accommodate their places in their new realities. Other worlds, stars, and galaxies formed around them to fill the void of empty space. And from their chaotic rebirths came peace, for a while. Then individuals, creatures, and gods from outside their realms crossed over and threatened the safety of their own realities._

 _All would have been lost were it not for us, the Caretakers. An order of interdimensional time travelers whose responsibility is the cataloging and protection of the multiverse. We formed to combat these threats and ensure that the histories of these realms continue unhindered by the interference of both outside forces and those amongst ourselves who would want to get involved. And that is what brings us here today…_

* * *

 **Realm: Artificial/Outside the effects of space-time interference**

 **World: Venreth**

 **Location: Disciplinary Court**

"…We are here because one of our own has interfered with the timeline of not one but multiple realms. He used forbidden Caretaker technology to plant suggestions into the minds of individuals within the previously mentioned realms to steer them away from their predestined paths." The man said before the council of people seated before him.

"He went against protocol to successfully change previously established events. I've selected a few examples of his interference: within the zero realm he planted the suggestion of removing the Crystals of Orience from the world's history into the mind of the entity known as Arecia Al-Rashia, therefore preventing war between nations and preventing the deaths of thousands, including the fabled Class Zero. In the seventh realm he averted the destruction of Nibelheim, the destruction of Sector 7 in Midgar, the Geostigma event, and the Deepground conflict, as well as the deaths of Zack Fair, Aerith Gainsborough, and countless others. And lastly, within the fifteenth realm he prevented the deaths of King Regis, Prince Noctis, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, and other citizens by imprisoning Ardyn Izunia off world centuries before the prophecy could be fulfilled, removing his influence over Eos and preventing the ten years of darkness. Those are but just three examples on this list, the copies of which should be in front of you as well as his file for your review." Those seated began to read through the list while the Ronso in the middle who was reading it through the presentation put it down and looked at the accused.

The man accused stood before them in handcuffs and appeared to them defeated and bored. He was a young tan skinned man with a black spiky mid fade haircut, and a small scar over his left eyebrow. He wore a dark gray jacket with black material over the shoulders, giving an appearance similar to shoulder guards, black breast pockets, black epaulettes, and black material within the jacket and collar. He also wore a black scarf around his neck, a dark purple zip up shirt, black pants, and black laceless shoes.

The Ronso looked back down at the paper.

 **Name: Caecilius Bruen**

 **Age: 26 (Earth Calender)**

 **Species: Hybrid (Human/Dai'Heo)**

 **Ship: The Eternal Traveler**

 **Status: Active Caretaker/Pending**

 **Additional Notes: Proficient in his work, gifted improviser, slight impulsive attitude, challenges authority, knack for inappropriate language.**

 **Criminal Charges: Alterations to the timelines of the following realms (VI,VII,X,XII,XV,0) [all have been returned to their original states], theft of illegal suggestion inducing technology, and departing in his designated vehicle without authorization from command.**

"Caecilius Bruen…" The Ronso addressed the prisoner. "We have reviewed your case and the many violations you committed. You went on your own unsanctioned mission, stole forbidden technology, and changed the histories of six realms. Histories which **we** had to correct and change back to their original states. Why would you even do such a thing?"

The prisoner looked up at them. "Because I cared, grandmaster. I got sick of watching people getting cheated out of their perfect ending. That's pretty much it."

"And that thinking could have destabilized their timelines and that destabilization could've leaked out into other realms. You put the state of the multiverse at risk!"

"There was a ninety eight percent chance that the changes would have been stable."

"We were not going to let the fate of reality hang in the balance because of a possible two percent chance of failure." Caecilius stayed silent. The council members all looked and nodded to each other. "You know that the punishment for these crimes is life imprisonment." He waved his hand and two guards walked over to Caecilius and uncuffed him. "But given your reason for committing them, that would be overzealous. You did it because you fell to the temptation of personal attachment. That is more than understandable. However, action must still be taken. Caecilius Bruen, you are hereby expelled from our order, your title of Caretaker will be revoked, your ship confiscated, and you are exiled from this world never to return. You will be given time to gather your personal effects and a small shuttle to take you to whichever realm, world, and time period you choose. Farewell, Caecilius." The council stood up and left.

Caecilius walked towards the door but stopped in front of an older man standing there and waited for him to speak. "Let's go, son."

When they made it to Caecilius' room he began packing up his belongings. His father stood there silently, trying to think of what to say.

"You know I love you, right?"

"No, actually. Considering that this is the first time I've ever heard you say it." Caecilius said as he continued packing.

"Well, it's true."

"I'm sure."

"What you did was irresponsible."

"I already heard that from the grandmaster, I don't need it from you too."

"I think you do."

"For the love of…I'm being ejected from the order and you want to make me go through a guilt trip before I leave instead of being, I don't know, a caring father?"

"You shouldn't have gotten attached to the people you were meant to observe."

"Yeah, well…too late to tell me that now."

"So…where will you go?"

"Well, can't go back to your world since it's gone. Don't feel like going back to mom's so, maybe I'll set up shop in the fifteenth realm on Eos long after the ten year night. Maybe I'll open up a restaurant or something." He chuckled slightly. "I take it you won't visit."

His father shook his head. "My duty is to the order. That takes top priority."

"Yep. Anytime I need you to be a dad and I'll always find you here or in some other realm doing your 'duty'. You weren't there for my first steps, my first words, my first day of school, my marriage, my divorce, and even mom's funeral. Hilarious how a time traveler can't seem to make time for his own family." He picked up his bag and turned to face him. "I guess that means this'll be the last time I see you."

His father looked down in sadness and stepped out of the doorway. Caecilius sighed before walking out to meet an escort waiting outside.

"I love you, son."

Caecilius didn't turn to look at him. "Goodbye, dad."

He walked away from his father for the last time.

* * *

The grandmaster walked down a hallway with one of the other council members while they shuffled through some papers in their hands.

"I believe we have everything covered." The Miqo'te man said.

"We better. We can't afford to miss anything during the Grand Summit. Especially after this whole Bruen disaster." The grandmaster sighed. "Such a shame. He was a good kid."

"He knew the rules."

"But he broke them anyway just to bring a little happiness. Could've destroyed reality but it was kind. Since when did being kind become the wrong thing to do?"

"When it has the possibility of putting trillions of lives at risk."

"Then…I hope it was worth it for him, even if it was just for a few moments."

* * *

Caecilius placed his bag down in the small shuttle and gave the inside of the ship a good look over. His escort stood at the door making sure he didn't do anything drastic.

"Here you go." The escort said. "The finest chariot we could get for the order's biggest screw up. Hope your mommy's proud of you."

Caecilius calmly walked up to him and looked at the smiling man. He smiled back before head-butting him into unconsciousness. One of the other Caretakers walking along looked at Caecilius in shock.

"What are they gonna do, fire me?" He laughed before heading back into the shuttle and closing the door.

He went over to his bag and pulled out two leather wrist cuffs with high-tech emitters on the bottom. After putting them on, he activated them and two pistols with glowing blue accents materialized in his hands.

"No way in hell was I going to let them keep you two." He smiled to himself.

He sat at the seat in the front and activated the launch for the preset course he was now destined for.

* * *

 **Realm: Artificial**

 **Location: The Vault/Deep Space**

 **Purpose: Safeguard artifacts collected from across the multiverse**

Two guards stood at the entrance while the automated defenses surveyed the area. They noticed a woman walking towards them but, upon recognizing her, stood down.

"Miss Ziad? This is a surprise. We thought you would be at the summit."

"An artifact has fallen under the interest of a meddler and needs to be moved for safekeeping."

"The council didn't inform us of this."

"The meddler is Caecilius Bruen. He might have tapped communications and the council did not want to risk tipping him off. He could be on his way here now."

"I see. What is the artifact he's after?"

"The crystal shard."

"That's not very specific, ma'am."

" **The** crystal shard."

The guards' eyes widened and they immediately both opened the vault door. They walked past the large collection of artifacts as they made their way to the shard of interest. Ziad looked at a few of the cases in passing and read their labels: Black Materia, Nyx Ulric's dagger, Onion Knight helmet, Ancient map of Vana'diel, and plenty of others. They stopped before a door with multiple locks and, after waiting for all the locks to move for the door to open, they went inside. The guards deactivated the security around the glass case holding the floating transparent shard. One guard opened the case while the other placed it inside a sealed glass cylinder and handed it to Ziad.

"We'll have two of the other vault guards escort you, ma'am."

"That won't be necessary." She placed the cylinder on a magnetic clip on her belt. "Seeing as how the dead can't do much of anything anyway."

"Wha-" He failed to finish as she quickly raised her hands and fired at both of them with her wrist mounted high-tech crossbows.

The blue lights struck both of them in the chest and they both fell back dead. She smirked at her handiwork before leaving. Soldiers moved in to take over the vault as she calmly walked passed them. Once outside, she was greeted by three women clad in black and black face covering helmets with red eyes. She motioned her hand for them to follow as she made her way back to her ship.

She placed her hand to her earpiece. "I've secured the shard. It's time to use it."

* * *

 **Realm: Artificial**

 **World: Venreth**

 **Location: Grand Summit**

All the Caretakers gathered as they waited for the council to address them. All the ships were docked and everyone stood in front of the large building that served as their base and their home. The council members arrived and the grandmaster stood ahead of them.

"Brothers! Sisters! Thank you all for attending the annual congregation of all Caretakers, the Grand Summit. Before we continue, we must bid farewell to one of our own, Caecilius Bruen." He looked to Caecilius' father who looked down in sadness. "He was a brilliant, if not at times, impulsive man." He chuckled. The statement earned a few laughs. "But he went against our rules and attempted to change the established histories of more than one realm which could have destabilized reality. Because of this, he has been exiled from our order. Let this remind you that meddling with the affairs of the histories of other realms is dangerous and must not be thought of as anything less." After taking a moment to let his statements sink in, he spoke. "Now, with that out of the way, I'll pass it over to councilman U'oto Tia." He gestured to the Miqo'te man who then stepped forward.

"Thank you, grandmaster. I am pleased to see that everyone was able to attend except for one. Unfortunately, our founder, Vera Ziad was unable to attend due to…"

As he continued, the grandmaster walked over and placed a hand on Caecilius' father's shoulder. "I am sorry that it came to that decision, Mathias."

"It will be…difficult knowing that he will no longer be able to answer his calling, but he risked everyone's safety and action had to be taken."

"When will you visit him?"

"I'm afraid I will never be able to. My work is far too important, he knows this."

"I understand. Your son never had it in him to put the order first. How many realms would have fallen if you had done the same?" Mathias didn't look at him. "When you showed him to me when he was born I said that he would be just like his mother. A headstrong adventurer with his heart in the right place. He always hated rules and, in the end, ours were no exception." The grandmaster saw Mathias smile a little. "He'll understand. Maybe not now, but he will. The needs of trillions outweigh his own desires."

"I don't think so. He also inherited his mother's stubbornness."

"Yes. Despite her disdain at the very thought of immortality, it seems she has achieved it anyway through Caecilius inheriting her nature."

"Something he carries with pride, no doubt." He chuckled.

"You've had a difficult day, Mathias. You should take some time away."

Mathias looked at the jet trail his son's shuttle left behind before answering. "I appreciate the offer but there's work that needs my attention."

"A Caretaker till the end." He smiled.

"Yes…" Mathias said silently to himself. "…but never a father." He finished somberly.

* * *

 **Realm: Artificial**

 **World: Venreth**

 **Location: High Orbit**

Ziad's ship stayed stationary in the direction of the Caretaker planet. She stood on the bridge with her three black clad bodyguards as they stared out through the glass.

"The shard's been linked up to the weapon systems. We're ready to fire on your order." One of the crew said. That made her smile widen.

"Fire."

Everyone noticed the sky go dark and the only thing visible in the sky was a bright blue light. The light grew bigger, but before anyone could react, the light had reached the surface. Blue flames cascaded over the surface of the planet and everyone was caught in its path.

Mathias took one last look at an old picture of his wife and son before the flames reached him.

* * *

Caecilius looked out the windshield and saw the bright blue light engulf the planet and immediately began to panic. He tore off a metal panel from underneath the controls, muddled around with its inner workings, and the rest of the console lit up. He disengaged the autopilot and set a course to materialize to the surface of Venreth. He flew to the location of the summit and saw that everyone had been turned into ash statues that blew apart from the wind. He kept walking despite his shock until he came across the remains of his father. The frozen image of him knelt down looking at the burnt remains of paper still in his hand. Caecilius reached out to touch him but his form crumbled before he could. Tears began to fall down his face as he took in the scene of fire and destruction around him. He was pulled out of his state when he heard a noise come from within the remains of the large building in front of him. He took one last look at the remains of his father before running inside to see if anyone had survived. He saw two shadows against a hallway wall and made his way towards them.

There was a clattering sound. "Hey, watch it! You trying to break it?!"

"Get off my back! It's perfectly fine."

"How is it that killing these guys was the easy part but moving a ball is the most difficult thing for you?"

Caecilius stopped when he heard that and hid before the figures turned the corner.

"I already said get off my back! Wouldn't even be a big deal if this thing broke, Ziad's got four more back on her ship. She wouldn't even miss it."

Caecilius' expression turned to shock upon hearing her name.

"If the boss says she wants it then we get it. End of story. Or maybe you want her to jettison you out the air lock mid-flight."

"On second thought I think I'll take extra care of this thing." He held up a sphere with a chrome grid pattern casing with a glowing blue interior.

"Good. Now come on, we gotta meet her at the dry dock or we're both dead."

Caecilius grit his teeth, materialized his two pistols, and shot them both. He picked up the orb and put it into his pocket and ran back outside. He made his way to where Ziad was and took cover behind one of the many wrecked ships that lay scattered across the ground. There were many soldiers walking around scavenging and surveying the area. He saw her, with two of her bodyguards, talking with a man with a large scar over his right eye that was milky white. He materialized his right pistol and took aim at Ziad but just before he could take a shot he noticed the third bodyguard in the corner of his eye and moved just in time to avoid her lance coming down on his head. Everyone in the area noticed the commotion and Ziad pointed towards it.

"Open fire!" She shouted.

The bodyguard leapt out of the line of fire as Caecilius ducked for cover behind a piece of wreckage just before all the soldiers took their shots. As the laser shots impacted around him he managed to peek out from behind cover without getting shot. He saw Ziad, her half-blind cohort, and her bodyguards dematerialize into beams of light that shot up into the sky.

 _"Damn! Gotta find a way out of here and get after her!"_ He thought.

He looked around at the wrecks before him and saw one that was less damaged than the others.

 _"That'll do."_

He ran to it while he dodged all the shots aimed at him. He made it inside the star shaped ship and started it up. The thrusters struggled to come alive, but once they did, he scanned for Ziad's ship and opened a portal to it. He saw that her ship was getting ready to leave the realm and tried his best to stay on her trail through the wormhole her ship created. The thrusters to his ship began to cut out and he fell behind.

"No, no, no!" He shouted as his ship fell through the edges of the wormhole.

The sight that greeted him through the windshield was a bright blue sky as his ship hurtled to the sandy plains below. The ship skidded across the ground until finally coming to a stop. After trying unsuccessfully to get the ship working he looked over the damage and threw whatever wasn't bolted down around the walls of the ship in grief. He sobbed for a few minutes before picking himself back up to try and figure out where he was. Power throughout the ship had ceased and none of the buttons and switches he pressed worked.

"Well, looks like I'm gonna have to do this the hard way."

He made his way out of the ship and trekked across the sand until he noticed a structure in the distance. It appeared to be a gas station and. He looked at the sign that displayed the station's name in big red letters.

"Hammerhead…hope they got a good mechanic." He said sarcastically to himself as he walked closer to his next destination, knowing full well who to look for.


	2. Where Are They Now?

I'd like to apologize for the long descriptions of characters in this chapter. A good chunk of them are a little over a paragraph long but I felt it was necessary to further show the passage of time of these characters' lives.

For this story, I've blended elements from both the Japanese and English releases of games.

Since the world of Final Fantasy VIII never got an official name I've decided to refer to it as Eden. The reason why is because SeeD like apple seed, Balamb Garden, etc.

Also, for context of where every character's story takes place, I'll leave you with a guide.

Cloud: One year after Dirge of Cerberus

Squall: Three years after Final Fantasy VIII

Tidus: One year after Final Fantasy X -Will-

Lightning: Two years after the Lightning Returns epilogue

Noctis: Just after Assassin's Festival and just before leaving for Altissia

Cindy: Six months after the end of Final Fantasy XV

Hope that cleared some things up.

* * *

 **Realm: Fifteenth**

 **World: Eos**

 **Location: Hammerhead Garage**

 **Time Period: M.E. (Modern Era) 766**

Cindy closed the hood of the truck she was working on, finished with her work for the day.

"All done?" Cindy turned to see the source of the voice and saw Prompto standing there.

"Yep. She's all taken care of."

"Great. I'll let Talcott know." He left to go find him.

Cindy took off her gloves and placed them on the work bench. She looked at her reflection in the glass window in front of her and looked over herself. Her hat showed a little more wear and tear, her yellow jacket was still in good condition, as well as her goggles, her dark peach mechanic coveralls were covered in grease stains, and her brown ankle high boots had a few scratches in the material. She sighed and smiled after turning around to look at the finished truck. She would have admired it a little longer had her stomach not grumbled so loudly.

"Maybe I should get a little grub before doin' anymore work." She said before walking over and stepping inside Takka's Pit Stop. "Hey there, Takka."

Takka looked up from wiping the counter to greet her. "Mornin', Cindy. What'll it be?"

"Hot sandwich if ya can, please."

"If I can?" Takka chuckled. "I ain't **that** old."

"I mean, you **are** a little grayer nowadays." She laughed.

He smiled. "One sandwich comin' up."

She looked around and smiled that the diner was functioning as a diner again instead of a hunter's armory. She looked to one of the booths and saw one lone customer eating a bowl of chili. She didn't recognize him and saw that he was covered in dirt from the desert.

"Hey, Takka. Who's that? Ain't seen 'im round here before."

"No idea. Came in here a while ago with that look on his face and ordered a chili. Tried makin' conversation but he didn't say nothin'. Think he might be havin' a bad day."

"Been there."

"You'd think after having actual sunshine again for six months people would be happier."

"I can hear you, you know." Caecilius said.

"Sorry 'bout that." She said. "Just curious 'bout ya, that's all."

"Yeah."

He turned to her direction to see if she was still looking at him. When he saw that she wasn't he pulled out the orb he took from the soldiers on Venreth and pressed onto it with his thumb. A blue rectangular display emanated from it and waited for his command.

"Pull up the file on Cindy Aurum from…" He looked around. "I wanna say 766 M.E." The display changed to her file as requested and he began to read through it.

 **Name: Cidney Aurum**

 **Aliases: Cindy, Goddess of the Gears (by Prompto Argentum)**

 **Realm & Home World: Fifteenth Realm, Eos**

 **Species: Human**

 **Age: 36**

 **Characteristics: Enthusiastic, passionate, driven, and an expertly skilled mechanic.**

"Let's hope 'expertly skilled' also means adaptable." He put the orb away, picked up his bowl, and walked over to where she sat at the counter. "Sorry about that, just having a **really** rough day. Mind if I sit here?" He pointed to the stool next her.

"Not at all." She beamed. He sat down and she extended her hand. "I'm Cindy."

He shook her hand. "Caecilius."

"Pleasure to meet ya." He went back to eating his chili. "So, what brings ya out here?"

He took a moment to think back on earlier events. "My dad died today…" He said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. I'll stop pryin' and leave ya alone."

"No, it's ok. My uh…ship broke down and normally I'd take care of it myself but the repairs require two people so I came here looking for a mechanic."

"I mostly deal with cars and such. I mean, if you've got a car I can make it fly but I don't know about servicin' an actual ship."

"I brought the manual with me if that helps."

She placed her hand on her chin and began to think. "Tell ya what, I'll take a quick gander at that manual and I'll see if I can help."

"Knock yourself out." He said as he handed her the thick book.

"Let's see. 'User's manual for the Chronal Star', nice name for a ship."

He noticed her eager expression turn to confusion as she flipped through the first few pages. She didn't even notice Takka place her sandwich in front of her.

"Having trouble?" He smirked.

"I…I don't…what's this about realms and collapsin' stars and…"

"You might wanna take a break from reading."

She turned to him. "Is this a joke or somethin'? This looks like a buncha gibberish."

"To some, but I've marked the sections you need to look at so there's not that much to read actually."

"You sound like I've already accepted the job."

"You're curious, of course you'll wanna see if the ship's real."

After taking a moment to think it over she spoke. "Alright then. I'll toe it in with the truck and we'll get to fixin' her."

"That's not gonna work."

"Why's that?"

"Cause the ship's too big for the truck to pull in."

"So I'm gonna have to fix it where it landed?"

"Landed…is one word for it."

"How far away is it?"

"Not that far. Just a few miles from here."

She sighed. "Well, still gotta take the truck unless you wanna walk all the way back there."

"Hell no, my feet are killing me."

"Cindy! You need to get out here!" Prompto shouted from outside.

She turned around to see four armed soldiers standing outside. She got up and walked out to stand in front of them.

"I take it y'all ain't here for a tune up." She looked over their uniforms. "Don't recognize the garments. Y'all a new army? I think we've all had enough of armies round here." Memories of the Niflheim forces still fresh in her mind.

"We are looking for a man who escaped with one of our ships. He is very dangerous and could bring harm to those who come across him."

Cindy instantly thought that they were talking about Caecilius and his damaged ship.

"What's he look like?"

"Mid-twenties, gray coat, scarf, scar over his eye."

Cindy sighed. "Of course." She said silently to herself. "Can't say I've seen anyone like that round here. Sorry I couldn't help ya more."

"Haven't seen him? Then where did you get that?" One of them asked pointing to the manual in her hand with an illustration of the ship he took on the cover.

"Well, ya see-" She stopped when one of them pointed the barrel of their rifle in her face.

"Hey!" Prompto shouted as he pointed his pistol at them.

Two of the soldiers raised their weapons at him and they all kept their guns drawn on each other.

"Tell us where he is and we won't turn this place to ash and everyone with it." She only looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. "Fine. This won't sting one bit."

The sound of a gun firing rang out through the desert.

Cindy blinked as the man who was ready to shoot her fell dead with a burning impact site present on his chest. The soldier to his left was the next to fall. The two that were focusing on Prompto turned to shoot the figure behind Cindy but one fell dead while the other had his rifle shot out of his hand. As he held his hand in pain Prompto came running up and knocking him down with the handle of his gun. Cindy turned around to see Caecilius standing in the doorway of Takka's with two smoking pistols drawn. The guns dematerialized as he walked over to the still living soldier on the ground.

"I don't recall my ship ever belonging to you."

"It will after we kill you."

"Ooh, scary. Tell me where Ziad is."

"I would rather die than tell you."

"Don't tempt me." Caecilius took out the orb from his pocket. "Scan and identify." The orb did as commanded and scanned the soldier and displayed the information. While it did, Caecilius looked up at Prompto. "I'm Caecilius by the way."

"Caecilius Bruen. We've met. It's good to see you again." He greeted while keeping his pistol aimed at the downed soldier.

Caecilius blinked in confusion. "I was not expecting this today."

"Oh, right. You said that, because you were a time traveler, the first time I met you wasn't the first time you met me."

"Sounds like something I would say."

"You also said to sing 'you broke my will but what a thrill. Goodness gracious, great balls of fire'." Prompto sang. "You said that would be important for the safety of the planet."

Caecilius laughed. "No, it sounds like I was messing with you, dude."

Prompto looked at him with an annoyed expression. "Glad I could remember that **exactly** for ten whole years for you." He said in a monotone yet annoyed voice.

"I guess that means I have **that** to look forward to." Caecilius then looked down at the file.

 **Name: Radlan**

 **Aliases: None**

 **Realm & Home World: Eleventh Realm, Vana'diel **

**Species: Hume**

 **Age: 31**

 **Criminal Charges: Petty theft, pillaging, and murder.**

"Eleventh?" Caecilius got up and began scanning the other soldiers.

"Fourth, Tenth, Second…" He turned back to Radlan. "You're all from different realms. I take it her whole army is assembled from across the multiverse?" Caecilius asked, putting the pieces together.

"Yes. We are a collection of peoples and species from different universes. We are the Agglomeration."

"Ugh, you know it's bad when they have a name." He said to Cindy and Prompto. He then started searching the bodies.

"You won't find anything that will lead you to her."

"I didn't think I would but you guys gotta receive your orders somehow." He said as he pulled out a flat disk. "Hologram projector. I'm sure that if I ask nicely they'll patch me through to her."

"She will find you, Caretaker, and she will wipe you from the face of exist-" Caecilius knocked him out with a kick to the face.

"I'll take him back to where he's from after I fix the ship. I'll make sure he pays for the crimes he committed on his world." He turned to Cindy. "I take it this is the part you say 'what in tarnation is goin' on?'." He mimicked.

"More like…" She then slapped him. "What the hell is goin' on?!"

"Ok, that wasn't what I was expecting." He said as he held his cheek. "Long story short their boss killed my dad and our group so I took one of **our** ships to hunt her down."

"So, these are bad guys then?"

"They did almost shoot you, didn't they?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "What're we gonna do with them?" She pointed to the bodies.

"Bury them?" Caecilius suggested, earning a look from Cindy. "What? Unless you got someone to collect them, that'll have to be the plan. Otherwise they're gonna bake out here in the sun and start stinking up the place."

Cindy sighed. "Prompto, after you're done restrainin' that one call Dave to pick these ones up."

"On it." He grabbed his phone out of his pocket and began calling.

"Seein' as how you need a workin' vehicle to chase whoever you need to catch, how's we go fix that ship of yours?"

"Sounds great." He smiled. "Good to meet you, Prompto. I'll see you ten years ago."

"Say hi to me for me!"

* * *

"Wow." Was all she could say when she saw the ship.

"Yeah, it's not my original ship but I'll get used to her."

"It looks spacious."

"Most of these ships have bedrooms, armories, engine rooms and such. So, they need the space."

"And you said that it travels to other worlds?"

"And through time."

"What powers this baby? Some advanced doohickey, special minerals…diesel?"

"A collapsing star frozen in time and miniaturized to fit inside an engine core."

She just stared at him for a few moments. "I better read through that manual again." She said as she took the book from him and began reading.

Two hours passed as they worked on the repairs. Some functions on the ship needed two people activating valves and switches at the same time to get them online. They passed the time by talking about themselves.

"So, your pa was an alien?" She asked.

"Yep."

"From space?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, that was kind of implied."

"What was he?"

"Well, I'm part human and part Dai'Heo. So, you can probably guess which one my dad was."

"Wow."

"Careful. You say that often enough and it's gonna become your catchphrase."

"And your responsibility was to record the history of my world?"

"And a few others. But, my job of recording Eos' history starts with the birth of Noctis till the day the long night ended. Other people recorded the before and after so I'm not too familiar with the after. Which is why I was surprised to see Prompto at Hammerhead. I kinda thought he didn't survive his return to Insomnia."

"I was beginnin' to think that too but he came back after a while and now he's sellin' photos and postcards in the shop while the others are off doin' their own thing."

He noticed her look down at the floor. "I take it that's not all he did."

"After he got settled in he said he'd like to take me out to dinner. On a date."

"Holy shit, I thought he'd die of old age before he ever got around to asking you out. I guess it took the death of the king for him to muster up the courage to finally ask." He laughed.

"You knew?"

"One: I recorded his life and Two: how could you not?! The guy was crap at hiding affection."

"Yeah, well…"

"You didn't say yes." He surmised.

"I said I'd think about it."

"How long ago was that?"

"…About three months ago."

"Ooh, no. Well, the man's patient. I'll give him that. I also happened to notice that me killing those guys didn't seem to really affect you that much."

"Yeah, well, over the last ten years I've seen folks end up worse than those three. I guess I've just kinda gotten used to it."

"Sorry to hear."

"It's just life round here." She said somberly.

Suddenly the ship sprang to life and all the lights came on. They both walked to the bridge and Caecilius placed the orb into a circular opening in the console.

"What is that?" Cindy asked.

"We call it a Library. It's one of a few data spheres that contain all historical knowledge of all the known realms."

"Is it gonna help you find that woman?"

"Not entirely, it's just to make sure I can navigate the realms. It's hard to remember every single set of coordinates in an infinite multiverse."

"I'd reckon so." Cindy said, struggling to understand.

"I can't find her right now but I can talk to her using this." He held up the disc he confiscated from the soldiers.

"You said it's a projector?"

"I did. Pulls up an active image of the person you're contacting. Like facetime on a smartphone except it's in 3D."

"You see, **that** made more sense than anythin' you've been ramblin' about all day."

"Funny." He activated the disc and placed it on the console. "Now for the fun part."

An image of a soldier pulled up above the disc. "What's your report?" The soldier then looked at them. "It's you!"

"Hi there. Can you please put your mom on the phone? Me and her need to have a grown up conversation."

The soldier walked out of view and a few voices could barely be heard. The light from the disc then distorted until the image of Ziad took up the empty space.

"Caecilius." She smiled. "Shame to see you're still alive."

"I'm always good at disappointing people."

"That you are. How did you survive the fire?"

"Exiled. Was just about to enjoy my retirement when I saw you BURN THE CARETAKERS TO NOTHING!" He shouted, his tone shifting from calm to furious.

"Oof, someone's excited. Yes, I did that. Shame I couldn't do it earlier."

"Why? You founded our order, why burn it all away?"

"Because it outlived its purpose. Sorry, its **true** purpose."

"Protect and catalogue the multiverse wasn't its true purpose?"

"To the rest of you it was." Her image went static before returning to normal. "But, to me, the Caretakers were a means to an end. I needed to look for something but the multiverse is endless. It would have taken me forever to find it or never at all. So, I thought that the best way to cover as much ground as I could and cut down my search time tremendously was to get more people to add to the search." Her image distorted again. "Of course I never told them why they were really brought together I just saw the chaos of the multiverse, told them to fix it, and record anything they find."

"You used us."

"Yes, that's exactly what I did."

"What for?!"

"I'm afraid I'm going to keep that part to myself. Don't want you getting a few steps ahead of me now, especially since I waited so long for this. Now you know the truth of what you were really for. I hope that helps you sleep at night." She turned her attention to Cindy standing a few feet behind him. "I see you've made a friend. What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Don't talk to her."

"Ooh, look at that. There's fire in your eyes. Can't wait to snuff it out."

"That fire is gonna burn down everything you care about and you along with it."

"Big words from a man who has no idea where to go next." The transmission went static for a third time. "Anyway, I enjoyed our chat but I have more things that need my attention. Kill you later." The image disappeared as the transmission ended.

"That was intense." Cindy said.

"Her transmission kept cutting out. Almost like there was interference."

"Is it normal for that to happen?"

"Not with these devices. They only cut out when exposed to certain types of energy or radiation. If I can identify and find a way to trace whatever it was I'll be able to track her or at least track where she's been. It could be that blue fire that burned Venreth. It could've been emitting a sort of energy that I was exposed to."

"Meaning?"

"She was on the planet's surface too. Which means, if it **is** the fire, she absorbed some of that energy as well." He turned his direction to the console. "Scan active pilot for abnormal energy signatures and pinpoint any areas in the multiverse that have been exposed to them."

A blue light then scanned over his body and displayed the results on the console screen.

"Alright, let's see. I was right! The entire surface of Venreth is emitting the same energy I am. And the source of that energy is…" He stopped as he read the name of the object responsible.

"What is it?" Cindy asked.

"…The Crystal of Matter."

"The what-now?"

"It's a crystal with the ability to conjure up different forms of matter and energies. It was shattered into pieces long ago. The Caretaker's found a shard of it and hid it away in secrecy."

"But you knew about it."

"They were terrible at keeping secrets from me." He let out a deep breath. "It was one of three crystals and if she's looking for the shards of all three then we are in serious trouble."

"Well then, you better get right on that."

"Yeah…" He began to think. "But I can't do it alone. You heard that guy, she has an entire army at her beck and call. I mean, taking down four of them was easy enough but I can't take possibly four hundred plus of them down on my own."

"I count seven chairs in here. Explain the situation, ask people for help, and I'm sure they will."

"Since I'm going up against an army the ship could take some damage and that damage would need to be taken care of. Would you like to be the ship's mechanic?"

"I'm flattered but I ain't got time to go zoomin' round while I got a garage that needs my attention."

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't say you 'don't have time' while you were standing in a time machine."

She took a moment to think. "I'm not sure. You're goin' up against some dangerous people. I don't think it'd be safe."

"I can guarantee that it won't be, but you stared into the face of danger today and you didn't even flinch. I think you're cut out for this. Plus, the ship's got a weapons fabricator in the armory so you can make any weapon you want to defend yourself with. Within reason that is." She still didn't seem sure. "If it helps, I can bring you right back to the moment you left."

"The exact moment?"

"I believe that was implied."

She took a few steps away from him thinking over her next decision carefully.

She turned around with a smile on her face. "Looks like you got yourself a mechanic on deck!"

"When this is all over I'll be sure to pay you for your services." He sat himself down into the main seat as he fired up the thrusters.

"Shouldn't we stop by the garage so I can pack and say goodbye?"

"We'll be back, don't worry. Gotta drop that asshole off back at his realm first and then ask for help like you said." He punched in the coordinates for their next destination. "Here's hoping they say yes. They're stubborn enough as it is."

He pulled a lever down to open a portal for the ship to fly through but nothing happened.

"Huh. I don't know what happened, it was supposed to-" A large portal then opened in front of them. "Whoa! Holy shit! Ok, we are rollin'." He said as they flew forward. After flying through, the portal closed behind them.

* * *

 **10 years prior**

 **Name: Noctis Lucis Caelum**

 **Aliases: Noct, The True King, The Chosen King, King of Light, King of Kings**

 **Realm & Home World: Fifteenth Realm, Eos**

 **Species: Human**

 **Age: 20**

 **Characteristics: Withdrawn, rebellious, slightly egotistical, cares for those close to him. Dislikes vegetables.**

Noctis had changed back into his fatigues before he walked through Lestallum as everyone was moving all the stands and attractions away for the next time around.

"Man, I can't believe the Assassin's festival is over already." The younger Prompto said as he placed their costumes in the trunk of the Regalia. "Feels like we only just got here."

"Time flies when having fun and battling the empire." Ignis said.

"Ain't that the same thing?" Gladio joked.

"Is what the same thing?" Noctis asked as he walked up to the car.

"Nothing. Gotta say though, I didn't think this festival was going to be as enjoyable as it was. Despite Loqi and the MT's showing up to wreck things."

Noctis smiled. "They just added to the assassin experience."

"In any case, we should probably head to Caem and depart for Altissia." Ignis suggested.

"Gotta do it sooner or later." Noctis said.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Gladio chimed in. "Close the trunk and let's go."

Noctis made his way to the open trunk while everyone piled into the Regalia. As he put his hands on the lid he saw that they were glowing blue. He barely had time to say anything to the others as his entire body turned into a beam of light that vanished in an instant.

"What's the matter? The prince need help closing the trunk of a car?" Gladio jokingly chastised but his expression to confusion when he noticed Noctis was gone. "Noct? Noct! Where'd you go?!" He shouted but no one answered.

* * *

 **Name: Cloud Strife**

 **Aliases: Ex-SOLDIER, Spiky, Big Brother**

 **Realm & Home World: Seventh Realm, Gaia**

 **Species: Human**

 **Time Period: [ ν ] - εγλ 0011**

 **Age: 24 (25 in three weeks' time)**

 **Characteristics: Formerly displayed a self-centered and cocky personality after the combined effects of Mako poisoning and extreme trauma. Caring, loyal, skilled combatant, and enhanced abilities due to Mako experimentation.**

Cloud stood outside 7th Heaven while he talked on the phone, looking for quiet during the busy evening.

"Yeah, things are going good here. Marlene misses you."

Barrett chuckled. "She don't gotta wait too long, now. Gotta throw a birthday bash for you after all."

"That isn't for another three weeks. She's not gonna like hearing that bit of news."

"Yeah, well, I'd be there sooner if I could but we got some serious nasties crawlin' near the oil fields so huntin' 'em down's gonna make an early visit impossible."

"I'll let her know."

"Thanks. Talk to you later, Spiky."

"Take care." Cloud then hung up the phone and headed back inside.

The place was bustling with customers talking, eating, and drinking. He made his way behind the bar to head upstairs until a voice from behind called out to him.

"Hey, Cloud! Could you give me a hand before you go up?" Tifa said as she filled a glass with whatever the customer ordered.

Tifa wore a red bandana with a white paisley pattern on her head biker style, white teardrop earrings, a white sleeveless top exposing her midriff, a pink bow on her left bicep, a Fenrir ring on her right ring finger, black elastic pants that cut off just below the knee with cargo pockets, and cherry red Dr. Martens boots with black socks bunched up at the top.

"What do you need help with?"

"Get these dishes to those four tables."

Cloud did as instructed and went back and forth between tables bringing plates of food to each person sat there. After Cloud brought the empty glasses back to the bar a commotion between two patrons had started. Cloud looked at the scene in front of him and he eagerly started to walk over when they started shoving each other.

"Hey!" Tifa shouted, making everyone stop. "You wanna fight? Take it out of my bar otherwise you're gonna deal with me."

They both settled down after the warning and went back to their seats. Cloud stood there with a strange feeling inside him stirring. A feeling like he had been cheated out of something. He shook it off and walked back behind the bar.

"Are the kids asleep?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, they came down a little bit ago to say goodnight."

"Oh."

"What's the matter?"

Cloud shook his head. "It's nothing big. I'll tell you about it after." He finished, pointing to the customers.

"Ok. I'll see you in a little while."

Cloud headed upstairs and checked on Marlene and Denzel sleeping in their room before heading for his own. After closing the door he took a moment to stand in front of the mirror he put in a year earlier.

He wore a sleeveless, high collared, diagonal buttoned indigo shirt, a pink ribbon on his left arm, and a metal pauldron with the symbol of Fenrir etched into the front and three hexagons with circles in the middle etched into the places where the screws on his original pauldron used to be, all held in place by a brown strap. He wore a brown fingerless leather glove on his right hand, a metal vambrace with Meteorfall etched into it with brown straps and a leather loop for his thumb to fit through on his left, black cargo pants, and black tactical boots with zippers on the side.

He scratched the beard that had formed on his face. "Still not feeling it."

He walked over and looked at the pictures on his nightstand, pictures of past adventures, and reflected on those days.

"Things were simpler then." He said to himself as he stared longingly at the photos of past battles and wars.

He smiled when his gaze shifted over to the photos of all of them together. He picked up two frames. In his left, the aftermath of the Battle of Midgar and in his right, a picture of everyone in front of the 7th Heaven after Vincent returned. He looked between them as if he was internally struggling with which life he wanted to live, the mercenary or the family man.

He noticed his hands begin to glow and within a second he was gone, leaving the frames to fall and shatter on the floor.

"Cloud?" Tifa said. "I heard glass. Is everything…ok?" She looked around to find only a mess and no one to be found.

* * *

 **Name: Squall Leonhart**

 **Aliases: None**

 **Realm & Home World: Eighth Realm, Eden**

 **Species: Human**

 **Time Period: 83 A.C. (After Centra)**

 **Age: 20**

 **Characteristics: Formerly withdrawn and cold. Slightly more open, caring, driven, longs for purpose.**

On a hill near the town of Winhill sat a small stone plaque. Written on the plaque was the name "Raine Loire". Raine's husband, Laguna, laid down white flowers at the edge of the stone. Laguna noticed the shadow of someone approaching cover the grave marker. He turned to see Squall walk up and place a single white flower on top of the pile already there.

Squall's hair was a little longer reaching halfway down his neck and he wore a black bomber jacket with white fur over his right shoulder and brown criss crossing belts on the bicep of each arm. Underneath were a white henley shirt and his old Griever pendant. He wore black leather gloves, black dress pants with multiple belts over them, and black calf high lace up boots with chrome toe covers.

"You're right on time." Laguna smiled.

"Thought I'd be late?" Squall said, his face non-expressive but his tone playful.

"You **were** late to my birthday party."

"I was late by ten minutes."

"Yeah, ten minutes without my son. I already spent enough time away from you and I don't want to waste another second." They were silent for a moment. "Man, three years and it's still weird to think about. A good weird I mean."

"It's fine. I never really pictured my father being quite like you if we're being honest."

"I hope I exceeded expectations." He smiled.

Squall shrugged. "It was an adjustment."

"You're still way too serious." He chuckled before patting his shoulder, signaling them for them to go. "How are things at Balamb Garden, Commander?" He asked while they walked.

"Work is good when you don't have anyone to deal with or pester you. But honestly, even that's not all bad."

"Glad to hear that. It's called social growth."

"I'm sure. Rinoa's been talking about the 'm' word lately."

Laguna looked confused. "Marzipan?"

"How did you get marzipan out of…no! Marriage, she's been talking about marriage."

"Oh! Yeah, that makes way more sense. So, when's the wedding?"

"I haven't asked her to marry me."

"…Yet?"

Squall looked down. "I…don't know."

"Look, you two have been together for three years. You saved the fabric of time together, you live together, and you love each other. That's what everyone knows and if you don't feel like taking it a step further yet or at all that's fine, but I think you should let her know if that's the case. It's not fair to either of you keeping it to yourself."

"I know…it's just a big step and I don't know if I'm ready. Did you go through the same thing with…?"

"With your mother?" Squall nodded. "Yeah, I think everyone goes through it. The pacing, the second guessing, the erratic thoughts and questions that won't stop. But eventually you'll decide what you want to do and that'll be that."

"What'll be what?" They both looked to see Ellone walking up to them.

"Oh, nothing. It's all SeeD stuff, right?" Laguna looked to Squall.

"Right."

"Well, when you two are done talking about 'stuff' feel free to stop by for lunch. It'll go cold if you talk too long though."

"Alright, we get the hint." Laguna said.

"Um, Squall?..." Ellone pointed at him.

He looked down to see that he was glowing and then quickly vanished.

* * *

 **Name: Tidus**

 **Aliases: Guardian, Shuyin, Dream of the Fayth**

 **Realm & Home World: Tenth Realm, Spira**

 **Species: Human**

 **Time Period: 1 N.E.C. (New Eternal Calm)**

 **Age: 20**

 **Characteristics: Upbeat, thoughtful, and capable. [Due to involvement with the Fayth, subject should be considered a memory based being]**

Chuami swam back to land as promptly as she could despite being nearly breathless. She managed to make it onto the sand where she collapsed to catch her breath.

"And time!" Tidus said excitedly with a stopwatch in his right hand. "Not bad, you beat your old record by fifteen seconds!"

Tidus wore a red headband, like his father's, over long hair that reached just past his neck, a yellow hoodie underneath a yellow and white checker pattern jacket, a black pauldron with blue lines going vertically down across it, a black glove on his right hand, a silver gauntlet on his left, his old black dungaree-type adornment and blitzball shorts now with a red sash on his right leg, and blue ankle high shoes with yellow stitching.

"Fifteen seconds?! That's barely an improvement!" Chuami complained.

"But it's still an improvement." He then handed her a towel.

"Sure." She said unconvinced. "Remind me why you're in Bevelle again."

"I thought I'd just come by and visit."

"Tidus, you don't even like it here. You don't exactly have the fondest memories of this place **and** you're not too fond of the Spiran Council, especially with Baralai in charge."

"I don't…dislike it…per se." She gave him an unconvinced look. "I just…needed some time away, that's all."

"What? Blitzball running you ragged?" Chuami chuckled.

"A little, but that's not the main reason." He looked down at his feet.

"Yuna?"

"I know I promised to be by her forever, even despite us not being **together** anymore, but it's an awkward situation that I just need a break from for just a little bit."

"So why not hang out with Lulu and Wakka or Rikku? Why come here?"

"Well, I can't find Rikku and Lulu would just calmly berate me about my situation and I don't need that right now."

"What makes you think I won't 'calmly berate you'?" She said smiling.

"Because you'd be too busy talking to yourself in your head about how you're here listening to my problems instead of being anywhere else." He gave a smile of his own.

"I don't…do that…per se."

"Uh-huh. Also, I don't feel particularly close to them anymore."

"Really? How come?"

"Well, Lulu and Wakka have their son, Kimahri's got his tribe, Rikku's off somewhere, and Paine's got her book. Also, I didn't really get to know her too well."

"What about that girl, Mayphee or something?"

"Marphie and no, we're friends but not close friends."

"I guess that means I drew the short straw."

"I guess so."

"But, come on, seriously? You've got no one else?"

Tidus shook his head. "No one."

 _"Jeez, guy must be pretty lonely."_ Chuami thought. _"Huh, guess he's right, I do talk to myself in my head a lot."_

"Not that I'm complaining but how are we close friends? I mean, we're not exactly meeting up every weekend to talk about work or what happened on our downtime. This is the first time I've seen you in months."

"Hate to break it to you but saving the world together from resurrected giant monsters tends to bring people closer."

"I guess? Anyway, you gonna stay for the festival?"

"Festival?"

"Yeah, it's to celebrate the one year anniversary after the, second might I add, defeat of Sin. There's food, music, games, and fireworks at the end of the evening."

"Sure, sounds like fun."

"Well then, guess you should be glad you decided to run from your problems at the right time."

"Yeah…glad." He said dishearteningly.

And then in a flash of light he was gone.

* * *

 **Name: Eclair Farron**

 **Aliases: Claire, Lightning, Etro's Champion, the Savior, Goddess of Death**

 **Realm & Home World: Thirteenth Realm, Earth**

 **Species: Human**

 **Time Period: 2018 A.D.**

 **Age: 23**

 **Characteristics: Previously cold-hearted and distant. Independent, encouraging to those close to her, protective of friends and family.**

[In the Summertime by Mungo Jerry]

Claire drove down the street with Serah in the passenger seat moving along to the song on Claire's phone. Claire could only smile which didn't go unnoticed by her sister.

"You glad me and Snow added the songs on your phone?"

"It's fine."

"Just fine? Not great or good at least?"

"Thanks for the songs, Serah."

"So, when are mom and dad gonna get here?"

"They're held up grading exams but they'll be here next week."

"Ugh, that's so long! But, at least I won't be going anywhere anytime soon since school doesn't take up my schedule anymore."

"No, it does not, Ms. College graduate."

"That's Mrs. College graduate. Or have you forgotten?" Serah raised her left hand to show off her wedding ring.

"I'm still getting used to it."

"It's been a year."

"Well…"

"Still, I guess it is still hard to comprehend everything. Finally getting married, mom and dad being alive, me getting to teach again…it's all so surreal."

"Who would've thought that living a normal life would be stranger than the one we lived before?"

"But it's ours." Serah smiled.

"Yes it is."

Claire parked the car in the Nora House restaurant parking lot and waiting for them at the door was a smiling Snow.

He bowed. "Hello, ladies and welcome to a party worthy for a queen."

"Oh, yeah? And what about your recently graduated wife?"

"I have a hard time telling the difference."

Claire rolled her eyes at the exchange but couldn't help the small smirk on her face.

"Now, let's not stand around while there's a party going on inside!"

After a few hours the sun started to set and Serah stood outside looking up at all the colors in the sky.

"Fang called." Claire said as she walked up next to her. "From a payphone if you can believe it. She and Vanille wanted to say congrats and that they wish they could be here for you."

"That's nice of them." Serah smiled. "I take it you're catching up with everyone?"

"Hope's still got that research job, Sazh still works on planes, and Snow's still the boss of the restaurant so I guess I'm all caught up with everybody."

Serah chuckled. "I remember a time when you wouldn't want to bother about asking about them."

"Times change." Claire took a sip of her drink.

"People too."

"People tend to be all you've got when you're done with the fight."

"And how does that feel?" Serah turned to look at her. "Not having to fight."

"It feels…freeing. Like a lifelong weight's been lifted and I can breathe calmly again." Claire then looked at Serah. "Either that or whatever Snow poured in this is stronger than I thought." Claire joked as she held up her glass.

"Well, I'll drink to whichever one you choose." Serah held up her glass too.

"To being done with the fight."

"Hear, hear."

They clinked their glasses together but Serah spoke before they could drink.

"Uh, Claire, you're glowing."

Claire looked at her hand and saw that it was glowing. She vanished in a flash of light leaving the glass she had in her hand behind to fall and shatter on the ground.

* * *

Claire materialized in a metal circular room and looked around for anything that could tell her where she was. She turned to see four other people materializing surrounded by the same mysterious blue light.

"Hey!" She said to gain their attention and they all turned to her.

"Lightning?" Tidus asked.

"Tidus?"

Tidus looked around the room to look at the others. "Cloud! Squall! And, uhh…"

"Noctis."

"Right. Sorry, we didn't really get a chance to talk last time."

"Speaking of." Squall said. "I thought leaving those copies of us with Materia and Spiritus meant that we didn't have to do this anymore."

"This doesn't feel like them." Cloud said.

Claire pointed to Cloud's face. "Nice beard."

"I'm not really feeling it."

"Shame. And I see you guys are going with the 'grown out' look." She pointed to Squall and Tidus.

Tidus chuckled as he fiddled with a strand of his hair. "Yeah, I guess we grew out of a few things since we last met. You're not rocking the armor and cape anymore."

"Swapped that life for something better."

"And Noctis, you look…exactly the same." Tidus struggled.

"It hasn't been that long for me."

Cloud stepped forward. "Now that catch up is over we should probably start figuring out where we are."

"Well, I can tell y'all that." They all turned to see Cindy in the doorway.

"Cindy?" Noctis asked.

"Wow, you're…you're really here, young and alive." She said in astonishment.

"Well, yeah. Not dead yet."

Cindy grimaced slightly at the statement. "Actually, Prince, you-"

"You were all brought here by me." Caecilius interrupted.

"Who the hell are you and what are we here for?" Claire asked.

"I was just about to say before you interrupted, rude." He took a few steps forward. "My name is Caecilius Bruen, you're on my ship, the Chronal Star, and I called you all here because all of reality needs your help.


	3. Warriors United

"I want you to send me back." Squall demanded.

"Squall refusing right off the bat. Not surprising but really annoying when I haven't even explained myself yet." Caecilius said.

"I'm feeling the same as him so say what you need to say before I start making demands too." Cloud said.

"Nothing but rude people today." Caecilius whispered to himself. "I was once part of an order of multiverse cataloguers and protectors known as the Caretakers."

"But not anymore…" Claire assumed.

"For two reasons, the first being I was fired for trying to alter timelines for the better and the second being that they were all wiped out by our founder." He pressed on the orb and a projection of the woman in question appeared. "Vera Ziad."

"Your founder?" Noctis asked. "Why would she destroy her own order?"

"Because it outlived her usefulness." He then shook off the pained look from his face. "She amassed us under the pretense that we would be guarding all the realms but she was using us to find the shards of the three ancient crystals that created the multiverse." The hologram changed from Ziad to an image of an ancient illustration of the three crystals floating through the stars.

The assembled party members all looked at each other.

"So, what does this Ziad woman plan to do with these crystal shards?" Tidus asked.

"Seconded." Squall said. "If those crystals are powerful enough to create whole universes then I'm even more worried about what she could do with their destructive power."

"I'm actually kinda surprised you know the definition of the multiverse."

"This isn't our first rodeo."

"Oh, right! The Dissidia Files, the gods Cosmos and Chaos…I kinda forgot about that. I was wondering how you guys were so familiar with each other."

"You forgot?" Cloud asked with a mild disbelieving tone.

"It's been a long day."

"Whatever." Squall said.

"To answer your questions, I don't know what her intentions are with the shards but seeing as how she's willing to destroy everything and everyone in her way with a smile on her face means that it can't be anything good. Just one of those shards wiped out an entire planet. If she collects all the shards then whatever she has planned will affect every world in every realm. Me and Cindy can't stop her by ourselves…I need a team. You can say no but you all have an invitation and I **really** need the help."

"Not interested." Squall said.

"Me neither." Claire followed.

Cloud hesitated before answering. "I'm with them."

"Look, I'm sorry you lost your people but I got my own people that need help. My answer's no too." Noctis said.

"Now wait a second." Tidus said. "There's a bad lady out there whose killing people and gathering crystal shards that could affect all of us and the people we care about. You're seriously gonna say no?"

"If you wanna help him then you can join his team." Claire stated. "But I'm going home to my family and friends. I fought for most of my old life and now that I'm finally done with the fighting the last thing I want to do is throw myself back in it."

"Besides, some of us don't have time to go zooming around to other worlds when our own needs us." Squall said.

"We shoulda mentioned that this ship is also a bonafide time machine." Cindy said. "Y'all familiar with time travel?"

"Yes." Claire, Squall, and Tidus answered collectively in a painful tone.

"There's your answer." Caecilius said to Cindy before turning back to them. "The point she's making is, if you decide to come along, we can bring you all back to the moment you left."

"I don't know…" Noctis said scratching the back of his head. "That would work for me but..."

"You don't have to decide right now." Caecilius reached into his coat pocket and handed them all black pen shaped devices with red buttons at the top. "These are Recall Switches. They're mini emitters that access the ship's Recall System so when you press the button you'll be beamed back onto the ship like how I brought you all here."

"Was wondering how you did that." Cloud said.

"Now you know, beardo." Cloud grimaced at the name. "As a safety precaution, they stop working after twenty four hours when they leave the ship so you'll have that much time to come to a decision. If some or all of you decide to not come back after that time then I'll understand. But know that this threat is real and no realm will be safe."

After giving his parting warning Caecilius sent them all back to their respective universes.

"You staying?" He asked Cindy.

"Absolutely. You'll wreck this ship without me."

He chuckled. "Then I guess we should head back to your world. You still need to pack."

* * *

 **Realm: Fifteenth**

 **World: Eos**

 **Location: Hammerhead Garage**

 **Time Period: M.E. 766**

"Should I pack any food?!" Cindy shouted from inside the garage.

"There's plenty of food on the ship and we could always restock on any world we come across so you don't have to unless you want to!" Caecilius shouted from outside next to a resting Cid in his chair.

"Less for me to pack!"

"So…" Cid began. "y'all are headin' out into time 'n space. Have to say, it ain't the strangest thing I ever heard."

"Really?"

"No."

"…Ok?"

"How much danger is she gon' be in?"

Caecilius thought for a moment before answering. "A lot."

"I can't stop her from doin' whatever she puts her mind to so I'm gon' tell ya this, ya bring her home safe without a scratch, ya understand?"

"Yes, sir."

Cindy walked into view with a fully packed duffel bag. "Alrighty, I think I got everythin' I need."

"Then let's begin our epic quest."

"Great. Another youngin' with his head in the clouds." Cid said in an annoyed tone before turning to Cindy. "You sure do know how to pick 'em."

Caecilius sighed. "People all day today."

They started to walk away until Cindy stepped to the side to where Prompto was waiting.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye. For now at least."

"Think you can handle this place while I'm away?"

"I've been used to this place and how it works for the past ten years. I should be able to at least do a moderate job." He chuckled before becoming more serious. "I won't let you down."

"Good. Besides, from your perspective, I'll be back in five seconds so you won't have to manage without for too long." She chuckled. "See you soon."

"Right back at you."

She and Caecilius turned to leave and walked toward the direction of the ship.

* * *

 **Realm: Fifteenth**

 **World: Eos**

 **Location: Lestallum**

 **Time Period: M.E. 756**

"You're making this up." Gladio declared as they all stood around the Regalia.

"It's true, and I got twenty four hours to decide whether or not I'll go." Noctis said while twirling the switch in his hand.

"So, have you thought about what you wanna do?" Prompto asked.

"I'd understand if you want to help, your majesty." Ignis chimed in. "But you have a mission here as well. We are already pressed for time as it is."

"I did mention the time machine, right?"

"That you have but what if this Caecilius can't bring you back to the moment you left? What if you return to find the world under the rule of the empire?"

"I understand there's a danger that I may not come back to the exact time I left or at all. But if I don't help there's a chance that even if we win here it won't be for long if she arrives here with the crystal shards." There was silence among them.

Gladio was the one to break the silence. "You're going somewhere we can't follow."

"Wouldn't be the first time."

"You talking about that other world with the gods and stuff?" Prompto asked.

"Yeah, some of the old crew will be with me so I shouldn't get into too much trouble."

"That's reassuring." Gladio said sarcastically.

"Indeed." Ignis agreed in a similar tone.

Noctis looked down at the switch and made his decision.

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys in a few seconds." He said before pressing the button and disappearing in a flash of light.

* * *

 **Realm: Tenth**

 **World: Spira**

 **Location: Bevelle**

 **Time Period: 1 N.E.C**

"And that's the whole story. What do you think?" Tidus asked.

Chuami just sat and kept eating from her fish kebab. "…I think this tastes delicious."

Tidus groaned loud enough for the people walking past to glance over in his direction. The festival was in full swing and the streets were filled with vendors, performers, and games.

"How do you expect me to react? It's bizarre but not really out of the ordinary for you now, is it?"

"I guess not."

"So, why are you here instead of just going?"

"I guess…I just wanted to say goodbye." He gave a half smile.

"Wanted someone to know you left?"

"Just a smidge."

Chuami smiled a little. "I'll miss you too, Tidus."

"I guess I'll see you around."

He pressed down on the switch and vanished in a bright light, startling some of the people passing by.

"Uh…ta-daaa." Chuami said trying to play it off, earning a coin to be tossed onto the table she was sitting at.

* * *

 **Realm: Eighth**

 **World: Eden**

 **Location: Winhill**

 **Time Period: 83 A.C.**

Squall, Rinoa, Laguna, and Ellone all sat around each other in Rinoa and Squall's house.

"So, you're gonna go, right?" Laguna asked.

"Why?" Squall responded.

"Because we'll all probably die if you don't."

"Maybe we shouldn't say that so loudly." Ellone said.

"We wouldn't want people overhearing and causing a panic." Rinoa added.

"Doesn't seem like that'll matter if he doesn't go."

"He can probably find someone else. He's got a ship that can go anywhere, he'll be fine."

"Did you not think to consider that even though he had a ship that could go anywhere he still asked you for help?"

Squall didn't speak.

"Could you two give us a minute?" Rinoa asked. After a moment, Laguna and Ellone left the room. "What's on your mind?"

"I think you already know."

"True, but you need to say it."

Squall took a moment. "I'm…scared. I'm scared that I might not come back this time. I only survived the other place because I was resurrected over and over again but now I'm facing some really destructive stuff and I don't get a do over this time."

Rinoa took his hand just as Angelo used her snout to lift Squall's left hand over her head to pet her. "You're not a stranger to the fear of death, I know. But your father's right. If you don't go that fear will become reality for everyone everywhere."

"You want me to go?"

"No, but if you don't, no one will live long enough to have the future we fought to give them."

Squall lifted his hand from Angelo, into his pocket, and pulled out the switch. He stared at it for a few moments.

"I guess I better say goodbye to them before I go." He said looking into the direction where Laguna and Ellone left earlier.

"That would be very considerate of you." She smiled before kissing him. "I love you."

"You too."

Squall got up with Rinoa, packed a few essentials, and said his goodbyes. When he felt ready he pressed the button and disappeared.

* * *

 **Realm: Seventh**

 **World: Gaia**

 **Location: 7th Heaven**

 **Time Period: [ ν ] - εγλ 0011**

Tifa stood there not saying a word while Cloud sat at the edge of his bed. She looked down at the floor while Cloud kept looking at her waiting for a response.

"I know it's a lot to take in." Cloud said.

"It's not fair." Tifa said quietly.

"What?"

"It's not fair." She said louder. "Sephiroth, Shinra, Deepground, it's all gone. Business is good for both of us, everyone's finally rebuilding their lives, and then all of a sudden you're called to fight again."

"I…I won't go if you don't want me."

"That's just it. Disregard the fact that there's really not that much of a choice, you **want** to go. You're going to pack your things, leave us all behind **again** , and fight someone else's war with no guarantee of coming back. That's why you shaved…" Tifa pointed to his now clean shaven face. "No more taking it easy, just back to being a soldier."

For a few moments there was silence until Cloud finally spoke. "I-"

"I understand." Tifa interrupted. "Until a year ago, you had been fighting for ten whole years of your life. That's not something that just goes away. But after experiencing what peace felt like I had hoped that you wouldn't be so eager to leave for another war. I mean, we have kids to look after, friends who cherish us. I know change is hard but I didn't think you were hoping for another fight."

"I never hoped for a fight. Fighting brings sadness, pain, and death. We know this better than most people. But…I guess I am eager. Maybe I have been longing to fight again but that will never take priority over you, Marlene, and Denzel."

"But you have to go because there won't be a me, Marlene, and Denzel to come back home to if you stay." After a moment, she perked up a little and looked up at him. "Well, be sure to pack a toothbrush, make sure Fenrir stays functional, and say goodbye to the kids before you go." She turned around and walked out of his room.

Cloud stood there slack-jawed. "What just happened?"

After that he grabbed a bag and began to pack his things. While packing he looked up and noticed the two pictures he was holding before being whisked away. He looked at the now broken glass and stared at his own reflection through the cracks sullenly. After he finished packing he explained the situation to Marlene and Denzel and they were all downstairs in the now empty bar to say goodbye.

"You gonna be ok?" Cloud asked Denzel and Marlene, knelt down to their eye level.

"We'll be ok, Cloud." Marlene said.

"You're going to leave again…" Denzel said sadly.

Cloud felt pained and quickly donned a smile. "You know, I'm going to fly around on this big time machine." Denzel looked up. "Which means I'll be back in five seconds and when I do I'll bring back a few things for all of you. Sound good?"

Denzel smiled widely. "Yeah!"

"Great." Cloud ruffled their hair, picked up his back, and stood up. "Five seconds."

"Five seconds." Both children said in unison.

He looked over to Tifa who then smiled. "Five seconds."

He smiled and nodded to her before pulling out the switch and disappeared after pressing the button.

They stood there waiting for Cloud to come back. Five seconds passed. Then ten seconds. Then twenty seconds…Cloud didn't return on time…

* * *

 **Realm: Thirteenth**

 **World: Earth**

 **Location: Nora House Restaurant**

 **Time Period: 2018 A.D.**

"No." Claire said to Serah sitting opposite her in a booth.

"But people are in trouble."

"They don't have the best luck then."

"Claire!"

"Seriously?" Snow asked from the bar. "Someone with no other options asks you for help and you're just gonna say no?"

"If you're so worried then you can go." Claire then tossed him the switch which he caught before it hit his face.

"Nice catch." Sazh said, sat at the bar.

"I'm not the one he asked." Snow said.

"Light-" Hope began.

"Don't call me that."

"Sorry. Claire, Snow's right. This time traveler is someone who has no one else to call on and, if what he said about this Vera woman is true, it sounds like we'll all-"

"I get the idea."

"Then how come it's not resonating?" Sazh asked.

"Because I'm done. I have my own life, a home, a job, and a…" She gestured to everyone around her. "…family. Now someone I don't know is asking me to leave it all behind to deal with his problems with no guarantee of coming back."

"But, Claire, his problems are going to be everyone's problems if this woman gets what she wants." Serah said.

Sazh turned to speak. "I get what you're saying but this family of ours, which includes my son by the way, won't be able to continue enjoying these second chances at life for too long if you don't help."

Claire rubbed her forehead in frustration at all the points being made. Serah stood up, grabbed Claire's hand, and led her outside.

"Serah, what are you-"

"Look, Claire, I understand." She interrupted. "And if we could all go with you we would but…never mind, you've heard all this already."

After a moment Claire spoke. "I just want peace. After **everything** that's happened, am I not allowed that?"

"Of course you are. Maybe…maybe the others will be enough to help. You don't have to go."

"Yeah, and maybe most of them will decide to go."

Claire then looked down at the ground. "What's wrong?" Serah asked.

"Out of everyone that exists he picked me. I have no special powers, no weapons, nothing. I haven't been a warrior in a long time, I'm no help to anybody, so…why me?"

"I don't know. If you stay you'll never find out."

"Maybe I can live with that."

"Which might not be for very long."

Claire nodded, turned to look at everyone in the restaurant, and looked back to Serah.

"I don't know…"

"Well, you've got two choices." Snow said, now standing outside the door. "You stay here and hope the others get by without you or…" He then tossed the switch back to Claire.

She looked at it in her hand, looked between the two of them, then back to the switch and just stared at it undecided…

* * *

 **Location: The Chronal Star**

Cindy walked onto the bridge placing a high-tech tool into her tool belt.

"I fixed up the glitchy portal problem and fixed a whole bunch of other things that I'm still tryin' to remember the names of so the ship should run more smoothly."

"You are a goddess." Caecilius said.

"Now you're startin' to sound like Prompto."

"Yeah, well, maybe he's onto something."

"What about Prompto being onto something?" Noctis said as he walked in.

"Nothing that'll trouble you, your highness."

"Highness?" Squall said as he entered. "You royalty?"

"He's a prince." Cindy explained.

"You kind of have the ego of one now that I think about it." Cloud said seated in one of the several chairs on the bridge.

"How long have you been sitting there?" Caecilius asked.

"I've been here for the past eight minutes."

"That's…really cool and also kind of creepy at the same time."

Tidus was next to walk onto the bridge. "Are we talking about Cloud? Oh, there he is." He said pointing to Cloud.

"Funny." Cloud said, sarcastically yet monotone ever present in his voice.

"What was funny?" Tidus asked genuinely confused.

Caecilius looked to the door waiting for the last member to walk on through. When enough time passed, he sighed and looked to the others.

"I guess this is all of us. Thank you all for coming. I know that what I'm asking of you is beyond dangerous but together we'll make it through the storm."

"Better yet, we'll be the storm." Tidus said excitedly.

"Well, you all know what every good storm needs…" Everyone turned to the new voice in the room and saw Claire walking toward them. "...is lightning."

"Welcome aboard, Ms. Farron." Caecilius said with a smile.

She then looked over to Cloud. "You shaved. Shame." Cloud responded with a shrug. She turned back to Caecilius. "You mentioned something about weapons fabrication on this ship."

"I did, which reminds me…" Caecilius then pulled a high-tech rifle from behind where Cloud was sitting and presented it to Cindy. "Even the mechanic needs a weapon on these missions. It has automatic, semi-automatic, and explosive functions for all manner of enemies."

"That's…very thoughtful of you but I don't-"

"Anything can happen on this trip. I'm not asking you to go out there with us if you don't want to, I'm just saying that you should be armed with something other than a wrench."

After a moment of thinking Cindy took the rifle. "I thought it'd be heavier."

"Lightweight materials. The future is fancy like that." Caecilius turned back to Lightning. "But back to you. I figured you'd need something a little more special than what the ship can make so I made a call to someone who owes me a favor to make something a little more fitting for you. Also, said person is making some armor for you so that'll be pretty neat."

"How long will that take?"

"About a few weeks."

"Weeks?!" Lightning asked surprised. Caecilius merely gestured his hands to the surrounding ship. "Right, time machine."

"Also, before we embark on our journey, who here has never been to outer space before?"

After noticing a few hands raised, he walked over to the console, pressed a button, and the windshield shudders opened to reveal the ship idling in deep space with glistening stars and gas clouds visible.

"Wow…" Was all Tidus could say.

"And all of you are going to be travelling to and through it." Caecilius turned to them. "So, who's ready for the trip of a lifetime?"

"We're here, aren't we?" Squall said.

"I'll take that as a yes. But first, did anyone bring any music?"

They all looked at each other and shrugged. Lightning however reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

"I did." She held out her phone to Caecilius.

He grabbed it and placed it into a port on the console. "Alright, everyone take your seats cause we are leaving the station!"

As everyone sat down and strapped in he looked through the playlist and selected a song.

[Back in the Game by Airbourne]

"Now the fun starts." Caecilius said before opening a portal and flying the ship through it toward adventure.


End file.
